Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!auspex!guy
From: guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Sed to make global replacements.
Message-ID: <2698@auspex.auspex.com>
Date: 8 Dec 89 18:40:53 GMT
References: <37090@ames.arc.nasa.gov> <3369@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Reply-To: guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris)
Organization: Auspex Systems, Santa Clara
Lines: 24

>Try
>                sed 's/[\\](12/1\/2/g'

or just

                 sed 's/\\(12/1\/2/g'

since, as you note:

>Two backslashes are used since the backslash has special meaning to sed
>and must be escaped (with another backslash).

so escaping the backslash with another one is sufficient.  (Yes, I tried
it.)  In addition

>The slash (or virgule, if you will) that is used to separate the '1/2' must
>also be escaped to prevent sed from using it as the delimiter of the 
>substitution command.

Or you can do

                 sed 's;\\(12;1/2;g'

using ";" as the delimiter, or any other character.